Educational device



June 16,1925. 1,541,795

H. G. CRESS EDUCATIONAL DEVICE Fild June 14. 1924 HoRnT'lo CHESS,

Patented J une 16, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HORATIO G. CRESS. 0F TROY, OHIO` A-SSIGNOR TO THE H. G. CRESS COMPANY, OF TROY, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

EDUCATIONAL DEVICE.

Application led June M 1924. Serial No. 79,956.

,To n?! r'tr/lem it may com-ern.

Be it known that I. HoRATIo G. Unless, a citizen ot' the llnited States, residing` at Troy. in the county of Miami and State ot Ohio, have invented certain new and use tid Improvements iu Educational 'I)eviccs, ot which the following is a` sl'iecilication. retcrence being had therein to the accompanjving drawing.

This invention relates to iml'irovements in education devices.

lt is the object of the present invention to provide a movable button for an educational device which will be easily moved to the desired position and at the same time prevented trom turning around when so positioned; and which will have a shank scarcely visible at its edges when the button is in use. thereby addingy to the attractive ness ot the device.

Devices ot this character consist ot a eupport having;passageways and a set ot movable buttons adapted to be positioned in va rions order therein, such as a storage passageway and a` transverse, passageway or pasrageways connecting with the storage pas saggjeway, These buttons lnay hav(` ou them the letters ot the alphabet so that` words may be composed by selecting the proper buttons trom the storage passageway and shitting; the set until the desired button comes opposite the transverse passageway and then moving it into said transverse passageway, or they may have on them numerals, animals or any desired design.

My present invention provides a very perfeet button for this purpose. such button having two heads with their edges cham fered and a relatively narrow shank with its edges, curved and of such lenth that it will not allow the button to turnaround in the passageway/'s except at. the junction ot the same. said shank being cutaway at its edges so that it is practically invisible when the button is in use.

Tn the accompanyingy drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of an educational device in which my improved button is used;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 Figure 3 is a side elevation of the button.

Figure 4 is a perspective view with the shank in section and one ot the button heads removed Figure is a plan view of a portion ot the support and a horizontal section through the shank ot one ot the buttons. the lower head of the button shown in plan: and

Figure o is a vertical sectional view ot' .sw-feral buttons and :1 modilied forni ot' support having: a double tace.

[n these drawings l indicates an elliptical shaped memhcr ot paste board or similar material having a passageway conforming to the contour thereof. It will he underH stood that the member l or support, may lze ot any desired conliguration and that there may be any number ot' transverse iizcsagre ways. rlihe passageway 2 is adapted to receive double head buttom 3 having' their under edges ehamfered as shown at et. and adapted to contain figures, objects. or lctters ot the alphal'iet, in the present instance. the latter. and serves what may be termed as a storage passageway. A separate passageway 5 leads from the passageway Q and is designed as a workingl passageway in which the desired characters may he moved in proper order. lt will therefore lie understood that the supply ot' characters is never more than may lie accommodated l) the storage passzigcvvay 2. ln the form of device shown in lili/(gutes 1 and 2 when the buttons Il have been placed in the passage way the member 1 is inserted in a box-like structure having sides G and a bottom 7. In practice it has been found that it is difficult to keep the supports or members l per- 'l'ectly true and that one edge ot the buttons will tend to drop down when being: moved from one passageway to another and in the` case of buttons having straight under edges they will catch on the support and necessi tate being lifted so that the entire head will rest. on the support. By chamfering the under edges ot the button heads it has been found that they will readily move from one passage 'ay to another and thus overcome the annoyance heretofore experienced with the old form ot button.

In devices of this kind it is decidedly advantageous to have buttons that, Will not permit of their being turned around in the passageways and at the same time it is desii-able to have butt-ons whose Shanks will be substantially invisible when the buttons are mounted in the support. To this end I have provided the present t'orin of double head button having a comparatively thin Gti llt)

shank 8, cut-away at its edges as shown at 9. It will be observed that the edges of the shank are curved, preferably from the center of the button, to facilitate moving the button from. one passageway `to the other, as clearly shown in Figure 5. In this ligure I have illustrated a button about to be moved from the storage ,passageway to the working passageway, .in which position the curved edges of the shank are contacting with the edges of the passageways whereby the button will be more easily moved. The length of one aXis of the shank 7 is such with respect to the length of the other that the button is prevented from turning around in the passageways.

Referring to Figure 6, I have shown a modified form` of support in which both faces are finished off for use in connection with both heads of the buttons. lVhen using supports of this type the buttons will carry letters, numerals, or `designs on both heads. In this form the support ycomprises two finished faces l0 and ll so that when it is supplied with Vbuttons of the type just referred to, it will serve the purpose of two devices. For instance, by having buttons with the alphabet on one head and figures on the other head, the one board may be utilized both to teach the child to spell and add.

The button herein described, not only provides an easily operated button for use in educational 'devices for children, but it is susceptible of being made very cheaply. The curved edges of the shank and the chamfered edges of the heads can be formed at the time and `by the means eniployedfto form the general body of the device, as by a cutting tool when the stock is in a cutting lathe.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A button for an educational device consisting of two heads lchamfered from their edges to a shank, and a relatively thin connectingfshank cutaway at the edges to render the same substantially invisible when the button is mounted in the support.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a member having a storage passageway and a working passage way communicating therewith, of a plurality of buttons vea-ch consisting of two L.

heads having their edges chamfered, the chamfer extending from the edges of said heads to a shank, and a relatively thin connecting shank cut-away at the edges to render the same substantially invisible when the button is mounted in the support and yet prevent the 'same from turning when so mounted.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

HORATIO G. CHESS. 

